Why LO Began Showing Up On College Campuses
“People are searching within themselves for the answer, when they just need JESUS!”
“My campus DESPERATELY needs Jesus, everything secular is so glorified, yet everyone feels empty.”
“We need a place for young women to come together to grow closer to the Lord and each other.”
“I think that there are so many young women who need to hear that they are worthy. And that God is the true king. I find myself trying to constantly reassure my friends that they are worthy and loved by God.”
“Our female community lacks community and unity. The female student body desperately needs to feel loved and seen, we need to feel as though there are people out there praying for us.”
This is a glimpse into what female college students had to say when Live Original asked, “Why do you want us to come to your campus?”
Hey guys, it’s Liv! I just want to start by saying, that we get it. We know firsthand that college can be a time of searching. Searching for community. Searching for answers of our life purpose. Searching for a true friendship. Searching for fulfillment and encouragement. Searching for balance. This season of life can have a lot of unanswered questions, and it can begin to overwhelm us if we let it.
For many, This is the first time you are on your own. You have the freedom to make decisions for yourself. It’s the beginning of a journey where you get to choose what’s next. From what’s for dinner to what you want to be involved in in your free time. You get to dictate the next steps. It’s exciting, and can be even a little scary.
Liz and I both had pretty different outlooks and approaches when it came to college. In my freshman year of college, I was ready to jump into every campus event that took place. I was excited to rush and join a sorority, and I lived about 5 minutes from campus. I absolutely loved the fact that everyone around me was in a similar stage of life as me. I could relate to pretty much everybody in at least one way, being a student. To me, we were all connected in a way and I was ready to fully step into my new life as a college student. Liz on the other hand was really only interested in the school aspect of college. Liz wanted simply what we all were there for, to get a degree. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either approach and a lot can and will change throughout 4 years of college.
No matter the person, this season will come with struggles, important lessons, and chances are you will graduate knowing a lot more about yourself than you knew before. For me, I found that one way a lot of the other students hung out was by “going out”. My sorority events seemed to be more fun if I had a few drinks with my friends before, and it was more fun to go to the local bar on a Friday night then to be home by myself. So, I did that for a while. At the time it seemed fine because it felt like the thing to do in college, but the next morning seemed to always come with a headache and lot of guilt. It felt like I could either have a social life or not, and if I wasn’t okay with living the “college life” then I wouldn’t have a life at all. My freshman year was a weird time filled with church on Wednesday night, Bible study on Thursday, and a party on Friday. I didn’t want to choose, so I thought I’d just do both and it was exhausting.
My sophomore year of college, God placed my high school friend, Liz back in my life at just the right time. We instantly grew close and our friendship was truly just what we both needed. Turns out, we each had some struggles we could relate on, and some struggles that were unique to each of us. Even in our unique struggling, we helped each other not feel alone in them and there was so much beauty in that. The beginning of our friendship consisted of a lot of late night conversations, a lot of listening, laughs, and a lot of encouraging one another. It was just what my soul needed.
I could have never imagined how Jesus planned to use our friendship. Liz and I learned so much from each other and grew with each other throughout college. Now, we get to work together and visit colleges with girls that are walking through a season we just came out of. Even if I wanted to, I could never pinpoint the amount of times Jesus was preparing us in every moment separately and together for what he has now set before us.
Liz speaking! Yes, yes, and yes to everything Liv just said! College is such a pivotal point in life. So many decisions and so much freedom — and it’s a bit overwhelming deciding how to use all that newfound freedom. My second year in college, I experienced heartbreak. I was on the struggle bus big time during that season. Struggled to find Godly friends, trust God’s timing, what to do with my life, and so on. It took months for me to figure out who I was without a boyfriend. What were the things I liked to do in my free time? Who did I want to spend time with? Needless to say, I did a lot of searching. And I just can’t help but think that someone reading this can relate.
In my lowest point, I remember thinking that I had two choices: run to temporary fixes (such as partying or jumping into a new relationship) or run to the permanent source of life — Jesus. I think this is true for each of us in any given situation. We can either run to or from Jesus, but either way, we’re running towards an eternity. Thankfully, I chose the path toward Jesus. And I tried my best to run toward Him full force, though it wasn’t always the easy choice.
I learned a few things in that season that stuck with me. I learned that no matter how we perceive our circumstances, God is always in the midst of them doing a new thing. I read a quote once that said, “Flowers grow best in the valley.” And I clung to that quote, because it reminded me of how God does the same for us. Whether you’re dealing with a breakup, loneliness, lack of confidence, or poor performance in school, He sees you in the valley. And if we let Him, He will use our valley season to grow seeds in us that will increase our faith.
Sometimes it feels impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we have the light Who holds our hand every step of the way.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
One of my prayers in that season was for all that God was doing in my life to not just affect me, but those around me. God answered this prayer tenfold by opening the doors for “LO on the Road”. Through this ministry, Liv and I have had the opportunity to travel to college campuses and encourage friends with Truth and relate to them by sharing a bit of our own stories. We have been blown away by God proving this to be His plan each time we sit in a room full of girls ready to talk about Jesus.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
This verse is the heartbeat behind LO on the Road. Our goal is to reach girls, whether they are on fire for God or aren’t sure where to start. Our prayer is to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that it would have a lasting impact.
But we want to encourage you with this: You can start right where you’re at. Gather some friends together, no matter how big or small of a group, and make your time about Jesus. Whether it’s going through a Bible study from the LO Sister app, studying a book in the Bible, or going through a sermon series. Whatever it is, just be in community with one another.
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).
Email us at ontheroad@liveoriginal.com for more information on us visiting your college campus 🙂
